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Automation of the Tulsa Trail School Library,

Hopatcong, New Jersey

Natalie Carlson

INFO 520

Grant Proposal

June 6, 2010

Tulsa Trail School Library

Automation Proposal

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Tulsa Trail School Library proposes to automate its entire collection of over 10,000materials in order tofulfill the library’s role as an integral curriculum resource. Automation willtake place over the course of eight weeks in July and August 2010. Once the library isautomated, the school library staff will develop an On-line Public Access Catalog; the librarystaff will present the new system and instruct students and faculty as to how to use the systemduring the first weeks of school in September 2010.Results of the automation will be evaluatedin June 2011.The library seeks one year funding of $16,744

for the project.

SETTING

Tulsa Trail is a small elementary school located in the borough of Hopatcong, NewJersey. The borough of Hopatcong lies in

Sussex County, in

Northwestern New Jersey,forty-five

minutes outside of Pennsylvania. While Hopatcong was initially a summer destinationof

tourists flocking to Lake Hopatcong, it has become the permanent home to approximately 16,000people. Tulsa Trail is one of three elementary schools in Hopatcong, New Jersey and housesapproximately 375 students in grades 2 and 3.

The Tulsa Trail Library is situated in an addition to the regular school buildingthat

Classes are scheduled to visit the library once a week. Extra visits may be scheduled asneeded

whenthe library is not in use. During their visits, students learn about the library and areTulsa Trail School Library

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allowed to take out one book of their choice.

Teachers are also allowed to borrow materials asneeded.

Books are shelved according to the Dewey Decimal System. Videos and DVDs areshelved alphabetically. Due to lack of space and lack of use, the library discarded its cardcatalog in 2005. As a result of this, there is no record of the current library holdings. Whenmaterials are taken out of the library, the book’s library card is placed in the student’s/teacher’spocket. Pockets are organized alphabetically by name and stored in a large manila

folder by thelibrarian’s desk. Students are expected to return materials the following week. Periodically, thelibrary aide will check the class folders for overdue books and send home reminders to studentswith outstanding loans. At the end of the year, school policy dictates that students withoutstanding library loans are not to receive their final report cards until the materials have beenreturned or paid for.

STATEMENT OF NEED

According to the American Library Association

(1996), “The schoollibrary mediaprogram is not only integral to and supportive of the school curriculum, but also provides amechanism for choice and exploration beyond

the prescribed course of study”

(“Role of theSchool Library Media Program,” 2006, para. 2).

The role of the school librarian is morethan a clerical role, checking in and checking out materials. The school librarian is trainedto connect learners to sources of information (Marcoux, 2009). Furthermore, the schoollibrarian has a responsibility to supportand be a part of the school curriculum (Anderson,2000).

In order to fulfill the many roles of the school librarian, automation of the schoollibrary must occur.

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In its current non-automated state, the Tulsa Trail Library is inefficient and cannotfulfill its potential as an integral curriculum resource. While students and faculty can anddo take out and use library materials, there is no way for students or faculty to locatespecific titles aside from combing the shelves. Without even a card catalog, the librarycannot maintain accurate records of its holdings. Countless materials can go missingwithout notice. The formulation of late notices is extremely time-consuming and can beinaccurate due to student or faculty error in taking out or returning materials.

The benefits of an automated library are numerous. The most immediateimprovements have to do witha more effective use of librarian’s time (Clyde, 2000;Schamber, 1992).

Automation allows for the time spent devoted to checking-in andchecking

out materials to be reduced by over 50% with results being far more accurate(Adams, 1994). With automation software, at the end of the year, Tulsa Trail will be able totake a quick inventory of its materials using the scanner and print up a list of missing items(Adams, 1994).

Another benefit of an automated library is the opportunity it affords the school totrack circulation and assess the library’s strengths and weaknesses. Many softwareprograms come with tools that can measure the number of books and the age of thematerials, facilitating with the process of weeding out out-of-date materials (Marie, 2005).By looking at an analysis of Tulsa Trail’s library collection, we will be able to determinewhat subjects are well covered and where we should allocate funding to gain morematerials.

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Perhaps the greatest benefit of an automated library is the enrichment of studentlearning that it permits. Through the use of an automated system, the students who use thelibrary become more self-sufficient in researching and locating sources of information thatthey need. Instead of relying on library personnel to assist them, students can look upmaterial,

see if it is available through the school’s on-line catalog, and then go to the shelvesto locate it

(Adams, 1994). Many automation software packages, including the one thatTulsa Trail is looking into buying, allow for students, parents and faculty to access the on-line catalog from any computer capable of logging onto the World Wide Web. This allowsfor students to do preliminary research at home and spend more time on-task once in thelibrary (Adams, 1994). Since less time is spent by the librarian locating information andstudents can no longer check materials out on their own, the librarian has the

opportunityto become closer to the students, seeing what materials they are borrowing and gaininginsight as to their interests (Goddard, 2003). Research has shown that through theintegration of automation software in school libraries, students are more motivated to seeknew information (Adams, 1994).

Library automation leads to an improvement of services, better collection access,remote access, more efficient and accurate record-keeping, and better use of librarian’stime (Clyde, 2000). By fundingTulsa Trail Library’s automation, you will be enriching thelibrary program and the curriculum as a whole. Our librarian will be able to spend moretime collaborating with teachers and working with students

instead of being bogged downby constant paperwork.

PROPOSED PROGRAM

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After considerable research of the available products, the Tulsa Trail

Library

proposes topurchase Atriuum through Book Systems. Atriuum is a 100% web-based program, allowing forany computer to access the library’s catalog and records. In addition to being so accessible,Atriuum provides a free visual navigation system geared towards children in grades K-3. Thissystem, KidZviZ, was developed for children with the help of children. It guides studentsthrough subjects and titles on their level, using pictorial representations. In essence, it makessearching easy and fun for the

students.

The Atriuum software includes: remote deployment: setup and installation of Atriuum,quick cataloging: online access to millions of "free" USMARC records, projectmanagement:consultation service and central point of contact during implementation, online documentationand help, and customerservice:toll-free phone and email support with free updates foroneyear.

In addition to purchasing the Atriuum software, the library will require a computer andprinter to use to scan in materials and print

out bibliographies, records, and late notices. TheHopatcong Parent-Teacher Organization has already agreed to present the Tulsa Trail Librarywith two used computers that will serve as student access portals once the library is automated.The Tulsa Trail Library will also need a barcode wand and

barcode stickers.

In order not to interfere with the daily running of the library, Tulsa Trail Library plans tocomplete the automation process over the course of eight weeks in July and August. During thattime, our librarian, Mrs. Smith, and library aide, Mrs. Hopkins, will be working six hours a day,four days a week, entering each item into the computer system. In addition to our two paidemployees, the Hopatcong Parent-Teacher Organization has agreed to supply two parentvolunteers each day to aide in the scanning and barcoding process.

Students and faculty will alsoTulsa Trail School Library

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need to be assigned a barcode; these patron barcodes will be located within a binder at thelibrarian’s desk.

Once the scanning and barcoding has been completed, Mrs. Smith and Mrs. Hopkins willuse Atriuum’s technical support services to assist indeveloping an On-line Public AccessCatalog for students and faculty to use. When school begins in September, the first libraryclasses will be devoted to instructing students and faculty as to how to use the new system.

Program Evaluation

The following are the anticipated results of the program:



The Tulsa Trail Library staff will be able to use their time more effectively, helpingstudents, consulting with staff on the curriculum, and developing innovative libraryprograms.



Library records will be more accurate, allowing for a more up-to-date, well-rounded, andaccessible collection.



Students will become more self-sufficient and active participants

in the library, gainingexperience in navigating multimedia programs to locate information on their own.

In order to evaluate these goals, surveys of staff and students will be conducted at the end of thefirst year.

CONCLUSION

According to Anderson (2000), “Students today live in a wired world…To help preparestudents for the skill set needed in the 21st

century workplace, the teacher librarian should be ableTulsa Trail School Library

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to provide a seamless electronic environment where teachers and students may accessinformation” (Anderson, 2000).

By keeping our library non-automated, we are not only using an inefficient system,butwe are also doing a great disservice to the students we serve. The world today requires studentsto be able to locate information from a database; they cannot merely comb the shelves untilsomething catches their eye.

The library should be an integral part of the school. Currently, Tulsa Trail Library is notfulfilling this role, and, until wepossess

an automated system that can organize and monitor ourcollection and cut down

on

the time devoted to clerical activities,we will remain inefficient andineffective. An automated system will allow Tulsa Trail Library to provide students withvaluable searching skills and the library will become the vital resource that it was meant to be.